The Ballad Of Oxford Jimmy Meredith(Chords)

	        
verse 1 

Am                           Dm                      G             Am 
I'll sing you a song about a southern town where the devil had his rule 
Am                      Dm           G               Am 
When marshalls faced an angry mob to send one man to school 
Am                 G 
His name was Jimmy Meredith 
    Am                G 
the tide he helped to turn 
       Am                    G 
For he chose to stay on that terrible day 
     Am      G       Am 
The land was soon to learn 


          Am                         Dm            
There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 
G                    C 
Yellow dirt on their clothes 
Am                           G 
What they thought they were doing, 
     F                 E 
Only god and the devil knows 
          Am                        Dm 
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 
G                            C 
Shot from their souls like a gun 
    Am                  G 
And as they threw their stones and bricks, 
     F                   E        Am 
They screamed, 'see what you have done!'
 


verse 2 

Am                  Dm               G                Am 
The governor made a promise he would keep the trouble down 
Am                   Dm      G                 Am 
But when the mob got ugly no troopers could be found 
    Am                   G 
And men were filled with hate and fear, 
     Am                G 
They screamed into the night 
    Am         G 
The rebel flag waved in the air 
    Am        G       Am 
The symbol of state's rights 

          Am                         Dm            
There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 
G                    C 
Yellow dirt on their clothes 
Am                           G 
What they thought they were doing, 
     F                 E 
Only god and the devil knows 
          Am                        Dm 
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 
G                            C 
Shot from their souls like a gun 
    Am                  G 
And as they threw their stones and bricks, 
     F                   E        Am 
They screamed, 'see what you have done!' 


verse 3 

Am            Dm           G          Am 
Gas was fired into the mob after each attack 
Am                     Dm                G           Am 
And though the gas was running low, they never fired back 
    Am                 G 
And when the smoke had cleared away 
        Am            G 
And the fury felt its pain 
Am                      G 
Two men were dead and a hundred bled 
Am            G     Am 
The south had risen again 

verse 4 

Am        Dm             G          Am 
So listen Mr Barnet, and Mr Walker, too 
Am                     Dm                   G               Am 
The times are changing mighty fast, they'll roll right over you 
    Am                          G 
But someday you'll head for the south,  
       Am              G 
to the southern tip of hell 
         Am              G 
And it's hot down there, white-hot down there 
Am              G     Am 
Let's hear your rebel yell! 

          Am                         Dm            
There was blood, red blood, on their hands, 
G                    C 
Yellow dirt on their clothes 
Am                           G 
What they thought they were doing, 
     F                 E 
Only god and the devil knows 
          Am                        Dm 
There was hate, cold hate, in their hearts, 
G                            C 
Shot from their souls like a gun 
    Am                  G 
And as they threw their stones and bricks, 
     F                   E        Am 
They screamed, 'see what you have done!'

	        

Written by Phil Ochs